Spinning reel with brake



ay 7, 1968 J. K. TAGGART 3,381,914

SPINNING REEL WITH BRAKE Original Filed Sept. 23, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR, Jae M ,e. ma /7 May 7, 1968 J. K. TAGGART SPINNING REEL WITH BRAKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Sept. 23, 1964 INVENTOR.

.A NW5 4% W M w Mi f, Ma Q N QM y 1968 J. K. TAGGART SPINNING REEL WITH BRAKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Sept. 23. 1964 INVENTOR. Ja /(m4 72663457 J. K. TAGGART May 7, 1968 SPINNING REEL WITH BRAKE 4 Sheets-Sheet Original Filed Sept. 23, 1964 INVENTOR JOHN/ 4 7466/! ET 3,381,914 SPINNING REEL WITH BRAKE John K. Taggart, 6801 S. Meridian St., Indianapoiis,lnd. 46217 Continuation of application Ser. No. 398,557, Sept. 23, 1964. This appiication Nov. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 510,524 11 Claims. (Cl. 24284.21)

This invention relates in general to a spin casting reel and, more particularly, to an improved mechanism for controlling the movement of the fishing line onto and off the line receiving spool of the reel. This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 398,557 for Casting Reel, filed Sept. 23, 1964, now abandoned.

Many attempts have been made to improve upon spinning reels of all types. An example of such efforts is disclosed in my Patent No. 3,298,630. However, with the increased cost of manufacturing precision parts and maintaining the equipment for making such parts, it became evident that it is not only desirable, but perhaps necessary, in order to remain competitive, to seek methods of reducing the number of such parts, hence the number of machines for making such parts. In the course of pursuing this goal, I found that I could design the parts for spin casting and spinning reels so that they are interchangeable. Moreover, I discovered that, with only minor exceptions, substantially the same parts can be used in both the spin casting reels and spinning reels, either with or without the level wind feature. Thus, a

manufacturer of all four types of spinning reels in a given size can, according to my invention, build the maximum number of reels in any one of the four types from a given minimum inventory of parts.

Accordingly, the objects of the invention comprised the provision of a spin casting reel, the manufacture and use of which creates less problems than those encountered in the manufacture and use of spin casting reels for the same purposes.

A spin casting reel, as aforesaid, the parts of which are designed so that they can be used interchangeably in a reel having the level wind feature, as well as a reel without such a feature, and many of which parts can also be used in a spinning reel, either with or without the level Wind feature.

A spin casting reel, as aforesaid, having an improved spooling device, having an improved line snubbing device, an improved drag construction, and having an improved gear mechanism whereby greater power and smoother operation can be achieved with less effort, and wherein the entire reel construction requires a minimum of space and can be made with a minimum of weight.

A spin casting reel, as aforesaid, in which the lever that deactivates the spooling device, prior to the casting operation, is easily accessible for operation by either hand, is located so that it does not interfere with the fishermans use of the rod and is not readily engaged accidentally to effect an accidental release of the line; and wherein the crank mechanism for operating the reel can be quickly and easily changed from right hand to left hand, or reversed.

A spin casting reel of the above character which is provided with means for preventing inadvertent engagement of lever to minimize the possibility of premature activation thereof.

A spin casting reel, as aforesaid, which is pleasing in appearance, extremely accurate and foolproof is opera tion, and easy to disassemble for purposes of cleaning.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent to persons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the following specification and examining the accompanying drawings, in which:

States Patent 3,381,914 Patented May 7, 1968 FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of said spin casting reel.

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevational view of said spin casting reel.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 13-3 in FIGURE 2 and showing that embodiment of the invention including the level wind feature.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of said spin casting reel as viewed from the cutting line 44 in FIGURE 3 with the nose cone removed.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a sectionl view taken along the line 6-6 in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 7-7 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 88 in FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken along the cutting line 99 in FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 10 is a broken and exploded, side elevational view of the parts of the spin casting reel located forwardly of the gear casing, wherein the level wind feature is included.

FIGURE 11 is a top exploded view of a portion of the parts disclosed in FIGURE 10.

FIGURE 12 is a front elevational view of the spooling device as taken from the line 12-12 in FIGURE 10.

FIGURE 13 is a sectional view substantially as taken along the line 13-13 in FIGURE 10.

FIGURE 14 is a broken top view of a spin casting reel embodying the invention and omitting the level wind feature.

FIGURE 15 is a sectional view taken from the line 15-15 in FIGURE 14.

FIGURE 16 is an exploded top view of that portion of the scramble wind reel corresponding to the portion of said level wind reel shown in FIGURE 11.

It will become apparent that FIGURES 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12 and 13 disclose structures which are common to the spin casting reel of the invention both with and without the level wind feature. For convenience in description, the terms upper, lower, front, rear and words of similar import will have reference to the reels of the invention and parts thereof as appearing in FIGURES 3 and 15, the frontward side of the reels being at the right of these figures. The terms inner, outer and derivatives thereof will have reference to the geometric center of said reels and parts thereof.

The objects and purposes of the invention, including those set forth above, have been met by providing a spin casting reel havin a gear casing including a mounting pedestal and forwardly projecting, hollow and cylindrical member which communicates with the interior of the gear casing. A hollow shaft is rotatably supported within the cylindrical member for rotation by crank driven gears at its rearward end and for rotating the spooling member at its front end. A line receiving spool is rotatably supported upon the cylindrical member between the gear casing and the spooling device, and adjustable drag means is mounted upon the cylindrical member for resisting rotation of said spool. The spool and the spooling device are enclosed within a conically shaped housing which in mounted upon the gear casing and has a line opening in the center of its front end.

Rod means extend through the hollow shaft from a point rearwarcily on the gear casing to a point forwardly of the spooling device. A snubber is mounted upon the forward end of said rod means and movable therewith axially of said shaft into and out of engagement with resilient means mounted on the inside surface of the spool housing adjacent to the frontward opening therein. A lever is pivotally supported upon the gear casing for engagement with the rearward end of said rod means for effecting the forward movement thereof, which movement is resisted by resilient means.

In that embodiment of the invention including the level wind feature, crank means is connected to said gear means within the gear casing for reciprocating an actuating member connected to the spool whereby rotation of the shaft is accompanied by axial reciprocation of the spool. Where the level wind features is omitted, the axial length of the cylindrical member which supports the spool can be reduced correspondingly.

The spooling device is provided with a cam actuated member having a pin which is moved into its retracted position in response to forward movement of the rod means where it is held by an engaging mechanism having parts on the cylindrical member and on the cam actuated member. Rotation of the spooling device automatically releases the engaging mechanism so that the pin can return to its extended position.

The spin casting reel (FIGURES 1, 2 and 3), which has been selected to illustrate an embodiment of the invention with the level wind feature, is comprised of a gear casing 11 upon which the spool assembly 12 and spooling device or flier 13 are rotatably supported within the spool housing 14, which is mounted upon the gear casing 11. The fiier 13 is rotated to wind the line 15 upon the spool assembly 12.

The gear casing 11 (FIGURES 3 and 8) has a gear chamber 17 defined by a right sidewall 18 (FIGURE 7), a peripheral wall 19 and a cover plate 2i on the leftward side thereof. The right sidewall 18 and cover plate 20 have coaxial axle openings 23 and 24, respectively. The gear casing 11 (FIGURE 1) has an integral pedestal 25 for securing the reel 10 to a casting rod 26. A hollow cylindrical member or tube 27 is secured to or integral with the gear casing 11 near the upper end thereof and projects forwardly therefrom so that the cylindrical opening 28 in said tube 27 communicates with the gear chamber 17 near the upper end thereof.

The upper portion of the peripheral wall 19 (FIGURE 3) in said gear casing 11 has a rearwardly opening lever slot 31 into which the front portion of a somewhat L- shaped lever 32 is slidably received. The forward end of said lever 32 is pivotally supported by a pin 33 which is mounted in and extends between the sidewall 18 and cover plate 20 of said gear casing. The rearward end of the lever 32 extends downwardly along the rearward surface of the gear casing 11 between a pair of outwardly or rearwardly extending and diverging flanges or cars 34 and 35, which shield the rearward portion of the lever 32 from accidental engagement and thereby minimize the possibility of premature or inadvertent actuation thereof. A leaf spring 37 is secured near its forward end to the upper front portion of the gear casing 19 and extends rearwardly along the slot 31 for engagement with the lower side of the lever 32 approximately midway between the ends thereof for resiliently urging said lever against the upper wall 38 of the slot 31.

A hollow shaft 41 (FIGURE 3) is rotatably supported by the bearing 42 within the central opening 28 through the tube 27, and the rearward end of said shaft 41 extends through an opening 43 in the rearward portion of the peripheral wall 19 just below the slot 31. A helical worm 44 is coaxially mounted upon the shaft 41 within the gear chamber 17 where it is engaged by the teeth of a helical gear 46 also located within the gear chamber 17. More specifically, the gear 46 is coaxially supported upon and secured to a hollow axle 47 (FIGURE 7), the opposite ends of which extend into the axle openings 23 and 24 in the sidewall 18 and cover plate 20, respectively. The opposite ends of the axle 47 have diagonal notches 48 and 48:! into which a projection 49 on the adjacent end of the hand crank assembly 52 is slidably receivable for effecting a 4 driving engagement therebetween. Thus, the crank assembly 52 can be mounted on either side of the gear casing 11, depending upon whether the operator of the reel is lefthanded or righthanded.

The crank assembly 52 (FIGURE 7) has three parts, namely, the cylindrical coupling 53, the crank arm 54 and the handle 55. The coupling 53 has the projection 49 on one axial end and a slot 57 on its other end into which the adjacent end of the arm 54 is slidably received. The crank arm 54 is preferably fabricated from stiff sheet metal and has a substantial U-shaped cross section from the coupling to a point near the outer end of the arm where it rotatably supports the handle 55 by means of the pin 53.

The crank assembly 52 is connected to the gear 46 by means of the connecting rod 59 which. extends through the axle 47, through the hollow coupling 53 and into the adjacent end of the crank arm 54 where it is pivotally connected thereto by the pivot pin 62. The rod 59 is preferably cylindrical throughout its length except for the portion engaged by the crank arm 54, which portion is flattened as shown in FIGURES 5 and 7. The rod 59 has a coaxial, threaded opening 65 in the end thereof remote from the crank arm 54 into which a screw 63 is threadedly received. A shoulder 64 on the screw 63 is rotatably receivable into the axle 47 and engageable with the adjacent end of the rod 59 when the head 66 of said screw is rotatably disposed within the recess 67 in the cover plate 20. A recess 68 is located in the outer surface of the sidewall 18 coaxial with the axle opening 23 therein for reception of the adjacent end of the coupling 53. When the screw 63 is properly tightened in the threaded opening 65, the screw head 66 and coupling 53 are held tightly against the opposite ends of the axle 47, which is slightly longer axially than the distance between the recesses 67 and 68.

By loosening the screw 63, the rod 59 can be pulled rightwardly, as appearing in FIGURE 7, through the coupling 53 until the crank arm 54 can be pivoted around the pivot pin 62 into the broken line position 54a for more convenient storage or shipment.

The gear 46, hence the crank assembly 52, is provided with an anti-reverse mechanism 71 (FIGURE 9) comprising a ring 72 rigidly and coaxially secured to the gear 46 or the axle 47 and rotatably disposed within a recess 73 in the inner surface of the sidewall 18. The recess 73 has a sideward and upward extension 76 in which a metal ball 74 and spring 75 are received. The rearward surface 77 of the recess 73 defines a portion of a circle eccentric with the axle 47 and radially spaced from the ring 72 whereby counterclockwise rotation of the ring 72 as appearing in FIGURE 9 causes the ball 74 to be wedged between said surface 77 and the adjacent surface of the ring 72. In this particular embodiment, the rear surface 77 is provided by a hardened arcuate metal insert 78 so that a softer metal can be used in the gear casing 11.

Due to the forward thrust imposed by the gear 46 upon the worm 47, a thrust bearing 81 is mounted upon the rearward end of the shaft 41 adjacent the outer surface of the peripheral wall 19. The thrust bearing 81, which may be of any convenient type, such as an antifriction bearing, is prevented from slipping off the rearward end of the shaft 41 by a spring clip 86 which is received into the annular groove 87 in said shaft 41 rearwardly of the hearing. A ring 88, which may be a metallic wave washer, encircles the shaft 41 between said peripheral wall 19 and the helical worm 44 to minimize frictional engagement therebetween.

The gear 46 (FIGURES 7 and 8) has an eccentric hub 89 extending toward the cover plate 20, and an actuating ring 92 is rotatably supported upon the hub 89 within the chamber 17. A pair of rollers 93 and 94 are rotatably supported on diametrically opposite, upper and lower portions of the ring 92 adjacent the cover plate 20. The lower roller 94 is slidably disposed within a vertical 5 groove 96 (FIGURE 7) in the cover plate 20 whereby rotation of the hub 89 will cause the upper roller 93 to move forwardly and rearwardly while, at the same time, moving upwardly and downwardly.

An actuating bar 97 (FIGURE 8) is slidably disposed within a groove 98 which extends along the leftward side of the gear casing 17, under the cover plate 20, and along the leftward side of the cylindrical member 27. The actuating bar 97 has at its rearward end a downwardly extending yoke 99 into which the upper roller 93 is received, as shown in FIGURE 8, for effecting reciprocation of the bar 97 forwardly and rearwardly of the tube 27 The spool housing 14 (FIGURE 3) has a cup-shaped rearward part 102 which opens forwardly and is rigidly connected to the front side of the gear casing 11 by means, such as screws 103 (FIGURE 3), the upper screw 103 also serving to hold the leaf spring 37 in place. As shown in FIGURE 11, the peripheral wall 104 of the housing part 102 has an access opening 106 for engaging the peripheral edge 107 of the drag adjusting disk 108.

A spool supporting sleeve 111 (FIGURES 3, 10 and 11), is axially slidable and non-rotatably supported upon the tube 27 and has a lengthwise groove in the inner surface thereof in which the actuating bar 97 is disposed. Said sleeve 111 has an annular groove 113 near its front end which communicates with the groove 112. The actuating bar 97 (FIGURE 11) has a shoulder 114 against which the rearward end of the sleeve 111 is snugly held by a snap ring 116 which is disposed within the groove 113 and extends into the notch 117 in said bar 97. Accordingly, the snap ring 116 secures the sleeve 111 to the actuating bar 97 so that they must reciprocate along the tube 27 simultaneously.

The rearward end of the sleeve 111 has external threads 113 (FIGURES 3, l0 and 11) which are engaged by the threaded opening 119 (FIGURE 3) in the drag adjusting disk 10%. A spool 122 which is rotatably supported upon the sleeve 111 has a flat annular brake shoe 123 secured to its rear surface and a flat annular brake shoe 124 mounted on its front surface. An annular corrugated or wave spring 126 encircles the sleeve 111 between the adjustment disk 108 and the spool 122. A flat plastic ring 127 is mounted upon or located adjacent to the front surface of the adjustment ring 108 concentric therewith for engagement by the annular spring 126. A flat metallic ring 125 is located between the spring 126 and the shoe 123.

The annular spring 126 has a radially outwardly and forwardly extending click finger 128 which is engaged with the rearward surface of the spool 122 radially outwardly of the brake shoe 123. This portion of the spool 122 may be provided with radially disposed serrations or grooves 129 which combine with the finger 120 to provide a clicking sound when the spool 122 is rotated with respect to the sleeve 111. The spring 126 has a pair of inwardly extending keys 132 which project radially inwardly on diametrically opposite sides thereof into lengthwise keyways 133 in the rearward end of the sleeve 111 on diametrically opposite sides thereof, whereby the annular spring 126 is held against rotation with respect to the sleeve 111.

A pair of axially and then circumferentially extending keyways 134 are provided in the front end of the sleeve 111, preferably on diametrically opposite sides thereof, into which radially inwardly extending keys 136 on the pressure plate 137 are received for removably holding said pressure plate 137 on the sleeve 111, and thereby holding the spool 122 tightly against the annular spring 126. Thus, by appropriate rotational adjustment of the disk 108, the compression of the annular spring 126 between the disk 108 and the adjacent surface of the spool 122 can be increased or decreased, thereby increasing or decreasing, respectively, the force which must be applied to rotate the spool 122 with respect to the sleeve 111. The keyways 134 are set so that rotation of the spool 122, forced by pulling the line 15 away from the spool 122, will tend to rotate said spool in a direction whereby the keys 136 are more tightly locked in the keyways 134.

The spooling device or flier 13 (FIGURE 3) is comprised of a rearwardly opening, cup-shaped member 138 having a coaxial, hollow shaft 139 extending through a central opening in the front end wall 142, said shaft 139 being rigidly secured, as by welding, to said end wall 142. The rearward end of the shaft 139 is externally threaded and is engaged by the internally threaded front end of the main shaft 41 so that rotation of said shaft 41 also effects rotation of the shaft 139 and the flier 13 supported thereon.

The front end of the shaft 139 (FIGURE 3), which extends beyond the wall 142 of the flier 13, has a diametrical slot 143 and preferably has an enlarged internal diameter. A cam supporting rod 144 is slidably disposed within the shaft 139 and has a front portion of enlarged diameter disposed within the front end of the shaft 139, whereby rearward movement of the rod 144 is limited. An elongated cam element 146 extends through the rod 144 at the rearward end of said enlarged portion thereof. One end of said cam element 146 is engageable with the end wall 142 of the flier 13 and the other end 147 of the cam element 146 slopes rearwardly, preferably at an angle slightly larger than 45 with respect to a lengthwise axis of the cam rod 144 to provide a cam. The end wall 142 has an opening 143 (FIGURES 3 and 12), through which the cam end 147 can extend. The ends of the cam element 146 extend through the slot 143 and beyond the opposite sides of the shaft 139. A spiral spring 149 encircles the front end of the shaft 139 where it is held under compression between the cam element 146 and a snap ring 152 mounted within an annular groove 153 at the front end of the shaft 139. Accordingly, the cam element 146 and its supporting rod 144 are continuously urged rearwardly of the shaft 139, hence, against the end wall 142 of the flier 13.

A shiftable member 154 (FIGURE 3) is mounted upon the rearward surface of the end wall 142 adjacent to the front end of the tube 27 for movement with respect to the flier 13 transaxially of the shaft 139. Said shiftable member 154 has an elongated body part 156 with a lengthwise, elongated opening 157 through which the rear end of the hollow shaft 139 is sli-dably received. One end 158 of the wall defining the opening 157 is sloped for engagement by the cam end 147 of the cam element 146. Accordingly, forward movement of the cam element 146 by the cam rod 144 causes said cam end 147 to engage the sloped wall 158 and thereby move said body part downwardly.

An M-shaped leaf spring 159 (FIGURE 6) is secured to the lower end of the body part 156 and engages the peripheral wall 162 of the flier 13 whereby the body part 156 is constantly urged upwardly. In using the expressions upper and lower as applied to the shiftable member 154, it will be understood that the flier 13, hence the shiftable member 154, is rotatable. Thus, these terms are illustrative, only, of the particular positions of the parts concerned as appearing in the FIGURE 3. Moreover, such expressions are not intended to limit the invention in any way.

The upper end of the body part 156 has a recess 163 into which the lower end of a line engaging pin 164 is snugly received and firmly held. The pin 164 extends through an opening 166 in the peripheral wall 162 when the body part 156 is in one terminal position adjacent the peripheral wall 162. The pin 164 is spaced from the nose cone 167, when said pin is in its extended operating position of FIGURE 3, a sufiicient distance to permit freedom of rotation of the flier 13, but not enough to permit the line 15 to slip past the outer end of the pin 164. The body part 156 has a forwardly extending projection 168, adjacent the sloped wall 158 thereof, which extends into the slot 148 for a guiding effect and, also, to strengthen the adjacent portion of body part 156.

The shiftable member 154 is held adjacent the end wall 142 of the flier 13 by a bracket 169 (FIGURES 6 and 10) which is in turn secured to said end Wall 142 by the ears 172 on the cylinder 173 which is mounted upon the front side of the end wall 142 by the same ears. That is, the ears 172 extend through openings 174 (FIG- URE 12) in the end wall 142 and corresponding openings in the flanges 176 on the bracket 169. The cylinder 173 is coaxial with the flier 13.

A resiliently flexible plate 177 (FIGURES 3 and 10), which may be made from metal, is mounted upon the rear surface of the body part 156, as by means of side flanges, one of which is shown at 178 in FIGURE 10. Said plate has an opening 179 (FIGURE 6) through which the shaft 139 is loosely received. A finger 182 is secured to and extends rearwardly from the plate 177 adjacent the upper edge of the opening 179 for reception into the opening 28 in the front end of the tube 27 between the inner surface of the tube and the outer surface of the shaft 139, whereby the shiftable member 154 is held in its retracted position in opposition to the contrary urging of the M-shaped spring 159. The body part 156 is cut away at 183 to receive the upper end of the plate 177 when the finger 182 is moved around and over the end of the tube 27 in order to drop into the opening 23 therein. The end of the tube 27 (FIGURE 5) is provided with an involute escapement groove 184, whereby the finger 182 can move outwardly from within the opening 28, during a partial rotation of the flier 13, under the urging of the spring 159. This permits the shiftable member 154, hence the line engaging pin 164 thereon, to move outwardly into their extended positions.

A relatively stiff and flexible ring 186 having a plurality of spaced, radially extending points 187, is secured to the front face of the spool 122 so the points are closely adjacent, but preferably spaced slightly from, the inner surface of the peripheral wall 162 on the flier 13. Thus, the points 187 tend to prevent movement of the line 15 between the front flange 188 of the spool 122 and the peripheral wall 162 of the flier 13 when the said line is being Wound upon the spool 122. Yet, the effect of any engagement of the points 187 with the flier 13 will be negligible.

A push rod 191 is slidably disposed within the shaft 41 for movement lengthwise thereof. The rearward end of the push rod 191 has a head 192 with a substantially hemispherical rearward surface engageable by the rearwardly ad downwardly sloping portion 193 of the lever 32. Thus, downward movement of the lever 32 around the axis of the pin 33 urges the push rod 191 forwardly through the shaft 41. The forward end of the opening 194 in the shaft 41 is enlarged and a plastic or similar sleeve 196 is inserted into said opening 194 for snug gripping of the push rod 191 to prevent accidental movement of the push rod out through the rear end of the shaft 41. The push rod 191 extends forwardly to a point near the front end of the shaft 41 where it engages the rearward end of the cam rod 144 disposed within the shaft 139, which shaft is connected to the frot end of the main shaft 41.

The front end wall 197 of a cup-shaped snubber 198 (FIGURE 3) is sleeved onto the front end of the cam rod 144 where it is held against the shoulder 199 by a snap ring 202 which is disposed within the annular groove 203. Thus, forward movement of the push rod 191 by the lever 32 acts through the cam rod 144 to move the snubber 198 forwardly with respect to the shaft 139 against the contrary urging of the spiral spring 149 and the M-shaped spring 159.

The cone-shaped front part 204 of the spool housing 14 has a substantially cylindrical rearward portion 206 which is slidably and snugly receivable within the peripheral wall of the rear part 102. Means such as the L-shaped slot 207 in the peripheral wall 104 and a cooperating projection 208 on the cylindrical portion 206 releasably locks the front part 204 upon the rear part 102 of the spool housing 14.

The front part or cone 204 of the spool housing 14 has a front wall 211 with a central opening 212 therethrough. A line guide sleeve 213 is disposed within the opening 212 for the purpose of smoothly guiding the line 15 therethrough. Said sleeve 213 has a radially extending flange 214 on its rearward end which engages and holds a substantially flat and resiliently flexible ring 216 adjacent the inner surface of the front wall 211. Said ring 216 may be fabricated from rubber or plastic and is engageable by the frontward side of the snubber 198 for the purpose of pinching the line 15 therebetween and thereby either slowing down or stopping the outward movement of the line 15 through sleeve 213. The ring 216 may be cupped slightly rearwardly to improve the sensitivity of its feathering action. Moreover, said ring 216 has an annular groove 217 in its rearward face and the snubber 198 has an annular, forward projection 218 on its front face which is receivable into the groove 217 to enhance their cooperative control over the movement of the line.

The cylinder 173 telescopes over the rearward end of the snubber 198 to prevent the line 15 from getting be hind said snubber when it is moved forwardly during a feathering or other snubbing action.

The reel 240 (FIGURES 14, 15 and 16) also embodies the invention, but it lacks the level wind feature. That is, as shown in FIGURES 15 and 16, the reel 240 has a gear casing 241 which may be identical with the gear casing 11 except that the tube 27 and sleeve 111 of the reel 10 may become a single member in reel 24%. Thus, the casing 241 has an integral forwardly projecting and hollow cylindrical member or tube 242 which is externally threaded adjacent the front wall 243 of the casing 241 and is of reduced diameter from the threads to the front end thereof.

The rear part 244 of the spool housing 246 is secured to the front wall 243 of the gear casing 241 and a drag adjusting disk 247 is threadedly engaged with the threads on the tube 242 for substantially the same purposes as the drag adjusting disk 108 in the reel 10. An annular spring 248 and spool 249, which may be identical with the spring 126 and spool 122 in the reel 10, are sleeved upon the tube 242 in front of the drag adjusting disk 247. A pressure plate 252, which may be identical with the pressure plate 137 in the reel 10, is mounted upon the front end of the tube 242 for engagement with the keyways 253 for the purpose of preventing the forward axial movement of the spool 249 along the tube 242 as the drag adjusting disk 247 is tightened against the annular spring 248, hence, against the spool 249 to increase the drag thereon. The annular spring 248 has a key 254 (FIGURE 16) receivable into a keyway 256 to prevent relative rotation therebetween.

The spooling device of fiier 257, the snubber 258, the shiftable member 259 and the various rod elements, cam surfaces and springs associated therewith for effecting axial and/or rotational movement thereof may be substantially identical to those discussed above with respect to the reel 10, except that the shaft 262, push rod 263 and the axial length of the flier 257 may be slightly shorter than their counterparts in the reel 10 due to the fact that the spool 249 is not reciprocated and, therefore, the tube 242 may be somewhat shorter than the tube 27 to the reel 10, except that the shaft 262, push rod 263 housing 246 may also be somewhat shorter than the front part 204 of the spool housing 14 in the reel 10. However, the resiliently flexible ring 266 on the inner surface of the front wall 267 of the front part 264 may be identical to the ring 216 in the reel 10.

The reel 240 has a manually operable lever 268 which engages the rear end of the push rod 263 for effecting the forward movement of the snubber 258 and, at the same time, causing a retracting movement of the shiftable member 259 in precisely the same manner as discussed above with respect to the corresponding parts on the reel 10. The tube 242 has a front end portion 269 which is of reduced diameter and has in its front face an involute escapement groove 272 which may be identical with the escapement groove 184 in the front end of the tube 27 of the reel 10. A finger 273 on the shiftable member 59 is engageable with the front end of the tube 242 in the same manner and for the same purposes as described above with respect to the finger 182 on the shiftable member 154 of the reel 10. In all other respects not specifically mentioned, the reel 240 may be identical with the reel 10.

While the operation of the two embodiments of the invention disclosed hereinabove may be obvious from their description, it will be summarized briefly. With the reel mounted upon a casting rod 26 (FIGURE 1), the line is threaded between the flier 13 and the spool housing 14 and then through the guide sleeve 213 in the front Wall 211 of said housing. This may be accomplished with the front part 204 of the housing removed from the rear part 102 thereof. With the shiftable member 154 in its extended position of FIGURE 3, the line 15 can be pulled through the sleeve 213 only by applying a considerable force to said line in a direction away from the reel. Such force must overcome the drag applied to the spool 122 by the drag adjusting disk 108 and the parts associated wtih the sleeve 111 on both sides of the spool 122. The flier 13 cannot rotate, due to the operation of the anti-reverse mechanism 71, to permit unwinding of the line 15 from the spool 122 in the unwinding direction. The line engaging pin 164 prevents the line from moving circumferentially around the flier 13 and away from the spool 122. The shiftable member 154, hence the pin 164 thereon, can be moved into its extended position of FIGURE 3 by turning the crank 52 more than approximately one-half of a turn.

In order to release the line 15 (FIGURE 3) to cast same away from the reel, the operator manually depresses the lever 32 whereby the shiftable member 154 is moved into its retracted position of FIGURE 8 and the line engaging pin 164 is disposed radially inwardly of the peripheral wall 162 on said flier 13. Such movement will also cause the finger 182 to snap under the front edge of the tube 27 and drop into the opening 28 therein, thereby releasably holding the shiftable member 154 in its retracted or inner position.

Operation of the lever 32 (FIGURE 3) also causes the snubber 198 to move forwardly and pinch the line 15 against the resilient ring 216 so that the line 15 cannot accidently or by gravity move out through the guide sleeve 213. The operator of the reel can now cast his line in a substantially conventional manner, releasing the lever 32 in proper timing with the cast. Such release of the lever 32 permits the spiral spring 149 to move snubber 198 rearwardly away from the flexible ring 216 so that the line can unwind freely from the spool 122 and move out through the spool housing 14 and the guide sleeve 213. The speed with which the line 15 moves through the housing during the casting operation can be accurately controlled by movement of the snubber 198 toward and away from the flexible ring 216 through manual operation of the lever 32. When the cast is completed, as when the bait strikes the water, further outward movement of the line through the housing 14 can be terminated either by depressing the lever 32 so that the line is again gripped between the snubber 198 and the flexible ring 216, or by turning the crank 52 whereby the shiftable member 154 is released from its retracted position and the line engaging pin 164 moves into its extended position (FIG- URE 3) where it prevents free unwinding of the line from the spool 122. If, at this moment, the bait i taken by a fish or engages some obstruction in the water, the force which may be created thereby in a direction away from the reel 10 can overpower the drag mechanism opposing rotation of the spool 122 and thereby permit line to move out of the reel before the breaking point of the line or the reel or the bait attached to the line will be reached. The reel operator will be given audible notice of such outward movement of the line 15, when the pin 164 is extended, by the clicking noise produced by the relative movement between the click finger 128 and the grooves 129 in the spool 122.

The line 15 is retrieved and rewound upon the spool 122 by turning the crank 52, which rotates the flier 13 and reciprocates the spool 122 to wind the line evenly upon the spool 122. The helical gear and helical worm minimize the amount of force required to turn the crank 52 when retrieving the line. By selecting a helix angle ratio of 35 to 55, for example, wherein the angle of 35 is on the gear, the rate of retrieve is adequate for average use and the force required to turn the crank 52 is minimal. However, it will be recognized that other helix angles may Work equally well.

The only significant difference in operation between the reel 10 and the reel 240 arises out of the fact that the reel 19 is equipped with a level wind mechanism and the reel 240 is not.

Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed above for illustrative purposes, it will be understood that variations or modifications of such disclosure, which come within the scope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fishing reel,

housing means,

shaft means rotatably supported within said housing means,

means for selectively rotating said sh'aft means,

flyer means secured to one end of said shaft means and rotatable therewith, spool means rotatable within said housing, rod means extending parallel to said shaft means, lever means engageable with one end of said rod means for moving the same axially of said shaft means,

braking means movable toward and away from said spool means to selectively resist rotation of said spool means relative to said flyer means, and

pin means mounted on said flyer means for movement relative thereto, and interengageable means on said housing and said pin means for releasably retaining said pin in a preselected position relative to said flyer means.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1 which includes cam means engageable with said rod means and said pin means for effecting movement of said pin means relative to said flyer means.

3. In a fishing reel having a hollow gear casing and housing means,

cylindrical means in said gear casing,

hollow shaft means rotatably secured to said cylindrical means,

gear means disposed within said gear casing for rotating said shaft means,

a manually operable crank means connected to said gear means,

spool means rotatably supported upon said cylindrical means within said housing means,

flyer means secured to one end of said shaft means and rotatable therewith,

line engaging pin means mounted upon said flyer means for movement transaxially thereof into and out of a position extending beyond the periphery of said flyer means,

interengageable means on one end of said cylindrical means and on said pin means for releasably holding said pin means out of said position,

resilient means urging said pin means into said position,

rotation of said flyer means effecting disengagement of said interengageable means,

rod means extending through said shaft means,

lever means engageable with the rearward end of said rod means, and cam means connected to said rod means near the front end thereof and engageable with said pin means for effecting movement thereof out of said position in response to forward movement of said rod means,

forward movement of said rod means effecting engagement between said interengageable means.

4. A reel according to claim 3 including first spring means resiliently urging said lever means away from the rearward end of said rod means, and second spring means resiliently opposing forward movement of said rod means.

5. A reel according to claim 3 wherein said spool means include sleeve means axially slidable but nonrotatably supported upon said cylindrical member and a spool rotatably supported on said sleeve means, said brake means being secured to and being supported upon said sleeve means, drive means connected to said gear means and movable therewith, and actuating means engaged near one end with said drive means and near the other end with said sleeve means for effecting axial reciprocation thereof in response to rotation of said gear means.

6. A reel according to claim 3 including manually engageable annular means rotatably supported upon said cylindrical means and movable axially thereof for yieldably opposing rotation of said spool means.

7. A reel according to claim 3 wherein said pin means comprises a shiftable member having an inclined wall, and wherein said cam means is slidably engageable with said wall so that forward axial movement of said rod means causes said cam to move said pin means out of said position.

8. A reel according to claim 3 wherein said interengageable means includes an opening in the front end of said shaft means, an escapement groove in the front end of said shaft means extending from said opening through the periphery of said shaft, and means on said pin means extendible into said opening in said shaft means and movable along said escapement groove upon rotation of said fiyer.

9. In a fishing reel having a hollow housing means, means defining an opening in one end of said housing, rod means extending within said housing means substantially axially aligned with said opening, spool means rotatably supported in said housing and adapted to contain fishing line which is fed through said opening, an annular resilient ring member fixedly mounted on the inner side of said housing circumjacent said opening, a snubber member mounted on the forward end of said rod means, and means defining an annular projection on one of said members and an annular recess on the other of said members adapted to receive said projection therewithin in response to axial movement of said rod means, whereby to limit movement of the fishing line through said opening. 10. A fishing reel as set forth in claim 9 wherein said ring member is formed with said annular recess and said snubber member is formed with said projection.

11. A fishing reel as set forth in claim 9 which includes sleeve means defining said opening and fixedly securing said ring member to the inner side of said housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,745,607 5/1956 Taggart ct al. 242-84.2l 2,989,266 6/1961 Yeada 242-842 3,025,020 3/1962 Sarah 24284.21 3,077,319 2/ 1963 Nurmse 24284.21 3,093,340 6/ 1963 Mauborgne 24284.2l 3,105,650 10/1963 Kuether 242-842 3,108,762 10/1963 Murvall 24284.2 3,120,357 2/1964 Wood 24284.21

BILLY S. TAYLOR, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,381,914 May 7, 1968 John K. Taggart It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 66, "is" should read in Column 3, line 11, "features" should read feature Column 7, line 50, "ad" should read and line 61, "frot" should read front Column 8, line 67, "to" should read in same line 67 except that the shaft 262, push rod 263" should read Accordingly, the front part 264 of the Column 9, line 28, "wtih" should read with Signed and sealed this 16th day of December 1969.

(SEAL) Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr. WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. IN A FISHING REEL, HOUSING MEANS, SHAFT MEANS ROTATABLY SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING MEANS, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY ROTATING SAID SHAFT MEANS, FLYER MEANS SECURED TO ONE END OF SAID SHAFT MEANS AND ROTATABLE THEREWITH, SPOOL MEANS ROTATABLE WITHIN SAID HOUSING, ROD MEANS EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID SHAFT MEANS, LEVER MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH ONE END OF SAID ROD MEANS FOR MOVING THE SAME AXIALLY OF SAID SHAFT MEANS, BRAKING MEANS MOVABLE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID SPOOL MEANS TO SELECTIVELY RESIST ROTATION OF SAID SPOOL MEANS RELATIVE TO SAID FLYER MEANS, AND PIN MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FLYER MEANS FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO, AND INTERENGAGEABLE MEANS ON SAID HOUSING AND SAID PIN MEANS FOR RELEASABLY RETAINING SAID PIN IN A PRESELECTED POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID FLYER MEANS.
 9. IN A FISHING REEL HAVING A HOLLOW HOUSING MEANS, MEANS DEFINING AN OPENING IN ONE END OF SAID HOUSING, ROD MEANS EXTENDING WITHIN SAID HOUSING MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY AXIALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID OPENING, SPOOL MEANS ROTATABLY SUPPORTED IN SAID HOUSING AND ADAPTED TO CONTAIN FISHING LINE WHICH IS FED THROUGH SAID OPENING, AN ANNULAR RESILIENT RING MEMBER FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON THE INNER SIDE OF SAID HOUSING CIRCUMJACENT SAID OPENING, A SNUBBER MEMBER MOUNTED ON THE FORWARD END OF SAID ROD MEANS, AND MEANS DEFINING AN ANNULAR PROJECTION ON ONE OF SAID MEMBERS AND AN ANNULAR RECESS ON THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID PROJECTION THEREWITHIN IN RESPONSE TO AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID ROD MEANS, WHEREBY TO LIMIT MOVEMENT OF THE FISHING LINE THROUGH SAID OPENING. 